Windows Weekly 967: Second Generation Bonobos

Leo, Richard, and Paul discuss Windows 11, a OneDrive Folder Backup change, AI, just saying no to Copilot, Xbox and gaming, and much more.

Stream this episode and subscribe

Enjoy Windows Weekly on YouTube

Windows 11

? Microsoft issues emergency fix for a borked Windows Update. Right. A fix for a fix.

? Hell freezes over, if only slightly: Microsoft quietly made some positive changes to forced OneDrive Folder Backup

• Don’t worry, it’s still forced (and appears to be opt-in, but isn’t)
• But you can back out more elegantly. So it’s opt-out, not opt-in, but a step forward
• Plus a new behavior I just discovered that may/may not help

? Windows 11 on Arm PCs can now download games from the Xbox app (previously only through the Insider program)

• Over 85 percent of Xbox games on PC work in WOA now
• Prism emulator now supports AVX and AVX2 and Epic Anti-Cheat (EAC), and there is a new Windows Performance Fit feature offering guidance on which titles should play well.

Windows Insider Preview

• Beta: New 25H2 build with account dialog modernization, Click to Do and desktop background improvements. Not for Dev, suggesting it’s about to move to 26H1
• Today: Notepad and Paint get more features yet again. Notably, these updates are for Dev and Canary only, suggesting these might be 26Hx features (then again, versions don’t matter, right?)

AI

? Just say no: To AI, to Copilot, and to Satya Nadella

? Our national nightmare is over: You can now (easily) hide Copilot in Microsoft Edge

ChatGPT Go is now available worldwide, ads are on the way because of course

Wikipedia partners with Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, more on AI

Xbox and gaming

In addition to the WOA/Xbox app news above…

January Xbox Update brings Game Sync Indicator, more

A solid second half of January for Xbox Game Pass

Microsoft will likely introduce a free, ad-supported Xbox Cloud Gaming tier because of course

Tips and picks

Tip of the week: Secure your Microsoft account

It’s not as hard as some think, and neither are passkeys once you get past the jargon

Also: Some tips and an app pick for an Authenticator app

App pick of the week: AI Dev Gallery

It’s aimed at developers, but AI Dev Gallery offers a fascinating glimpse at what you can do for free with AI used against a CPU, GPU, or NPU.

RunAs Radio this week: Ideation to Implementation with Amber Vandenburg

https://runasradio.com/Shows/Show/1020

Brown liquor pick of the week: Estancia Raicilla

https://estanciadestileria.com/distillates/raicilla-de-la-sierra